mercadito's tacos de camarón

you may know my opinions about mercadito. so when i received an email about a mercadito "cooking class" i was ecstatic--and demanded friend number 2 join me.

when we showed up and saw what was on the menu for the demonstration (not really a cooking class), i got even more excited: mercadito's chipotle shrimp tacos! they're literally one of my 2 choices to order every time i'm there (my other choice is the chicken tacos with crispy manchego and pickled sweet potato. now if only i could get my hands on the recipes for those pickles...)

as for the demonstration, executive chef-owner patricio sandoval was a wonderfully engaging host. he talked and cooked, we ate...all in all a beautiful thing. especially when you consider we walked away stuffed with delicious food (an assortment of tastings of guacamole, ceviche, tacos and dessert aaaaaand a pepino margarita) for $45 AND the recipes to recreate at home--I WIN! ahem. WE win!

keep your eyes on the sabores autenticos de mexico website for upcoming cooking demonstrations and events including mexican restaurant week.

a little less exciting than all of this awesomeness was learning the secret of what makes the shrimp tacos so delicious: mounting the sauce. aka adding tons and tons of butter. more specifically, whisking cold butter into the sauce at the end of cooking it. i should have guessed...so, if you're in the mood for something delicious and slightly indulgent, have at it. or on a less-indulgent day, skimp out on the butter (which is what friend number 2 and i did the other day when we finally got around to trying the recipe for ourselves).

mercadito's tacos de camarón
courtesy of patricio sandoval

makes 4 tacos

• 2 tablespoons canola/olive oil blend
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 6 ounces marinated shrimp (recipe below)
• 2 teaspoons chipotle puree (we blended chipotles in adobo, since they're easiest to find. if you use these, just make sure to taste as you go so that you don't wind up with something that's too hot to eat...)
  
• lemon juice to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt to taste
• 4 homemade corn tortillas (ha, whoops, i must have left my homemade tortillas at home...not gonna happen)
  
• 4 slices avocado

• heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet; sauté 1 tablespoon garlic until brown. add red onion and sauté 30 seconds.
• add marinated shrimp and cook 1 minute. stir in 2 teaspoons chipotle puree, lemon juice, and butter; season with salt to taste. cook 2 to 4 minutes.
• heat corn tortillas. top each with shrimp and 1 slice of avocado.

marinated shrimp

• 6 ounces diced shrimp
• 1/2 can of chipotle peppers (blend chipotle peppers in blender)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

csa week 1: leeks with ginger and shrimp

it sure seems like the majority of my csa recipes are going to come from mark bittman. my goal is to really enjoy the produce i'm getting. to me, this means not hiding the flavors of vegetables but cooking dishes that really feature them and bring out their flavors rather than downplay them. however, at the same time, i'm also trying to cook in a way that isn't just eating the vegetable plain (always a good option). bittman is undoubtedly the simple food/simple flavors master (the minimalist).

i always think of leeks as a winter food undoubtedly because of potato leek soup. and this is how i mostly use them. ok, 90% of the time, that's how i use them so it was quite exciting to get some last week and figure out a way to use them outside of soup. so back to bittman. his leeks with ginger and shrimp seemed like the perfect, simple recipe for my leeks and a weeknight dinner. i have to be honest in saying that i didn't actually cook this. i was going to be home late, etc, etc, etc, so the boy took over cooking as per my and bittman's instructions.

this dish turned out delicious. major props to the boy, bittman AND trader joe's jumbo frozen raw shrimp. seriously, they are going to be added to my regular grocery shopping list. the leeks got all crunchy and combined perfectly with the strong but not at all overwhelming ginger flavor. we ate it over toast, as per bittman's instructions.

mark bittman's leeks with ginger and shrimp

• 1/4 cup peanut or olive oil
• 4 large leeks (light green and white parts only), about 3 pounds, thoroughly washed and chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled shrimp
• 1/4 cup minced ginger
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon good stock, dry sherry or soy sauce, optional (didn't do this)
  

• put half the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, and turn heat to high. when a bit of smoke appears, add the leeks, all at once. let sit for a couple of minutes, then cook, stirring only occasionally, for about 10 minutes. when the leeks dry out and begin to brown, remove them from the pan and set aside.
• with the heat still on high, add the remaining oil to the pan, immediately followed by the shrimp. sprinkle with the ginger. cook for about a minute, then stir. cook, stirring every minute or so, until the shrimp are almost all pink, about 5 minutes. add the leeks, along with some salt and pepper. when the shrimp are done (no traces of gray will remain), stir in the liquid if desired, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

a new favorite la thing: JITLADA! (aka serious awesomeness)

let's talk thai food. i've been trying to work on the queens thai pilgrimages (sripraphai, zabb) to find some good stuff. it was good but certainly nothing that came close to the hype. then, when i was in la, my dad told me about a place he had recently be frequenting for lunch. more thai hype. i completely trust my dad when it comes to thai food but after all of the queens hubbub, i had my doubts. my ears certainly started to perk when he told me that the restaurant features a menu with the dishes recommended in gourmet magazine, the la times, and la weekly.

JITLADA! the menu is expansive. but take a look at the recommended dishes, chat with jazz a bit, and you'll be all set. one thing to be aware off: the spice factor. i won't pretend that i'm someone who does spicy food. i like my food with some spice and kick but i refuse to get into any sort of macho argument here. so although at some restaurants i may prefer something hot involved, i don't even start to compete. that being said, i'm going to go out on a limb here by saying that most people here will need mild food. and even then, it might make you sweat.

and now, the meal, blow by blow:

the first dish of the night may have also been the best. coco mango salad: mango salad with shrimp, red onion, cashews, lime, and chili. i love crunchy textures so this really did it for me and the shrimp added some welcome varied texture. it was spicy but also sweet and tart at the same time. the shrimp and cashews added additional flavor and sweetness. a fabulous combination of flavors. a++!

steamed mussels in spicy lemongrass broth were up next. these things were huge and they were big and plump enough to really hold the flavor of the broth. the broth was spicy and full-bodied. can a broth be full-bodied? well this one was, flavorful and rich.

flambe prawns with red curry sauce. the sauce was thick and sweet but also smokey and spicy. the prawns were quite large and perfectly cooked.

basil noodles with fish (not on the menu). this is my dad's "special" lunch dish. recommended personally by jazz. it was good and flavorful with thick, flat rice noodles but quite spicy.

mango sticky rice because what's a thai meal without some of this to finish it off? i really do love this dish and it was particularly good at jitlada. the mangoes were perfectly ripe, sweet and juicy. the rice wasn't overly sweet and cooked nicely so that it wasn't mushy and still had a wee bit of chewy crunch (in a good way).

i was quite happy with our selection and extremely full by the end of it. the only thing i would have changed (if i could have eaten another bite) was to order some of the delicious looking plates of greens i saw going by throughout the course of the meal. so go forth, thai eating friends and experience the ecstasy of jitlada! and if you can't quite make it out to la, head to queens and in between bites of sripraphai repeat after me: "there's no place like jitlada, there's no place like jitlada..."

weeknight dinner: 2 for 1!

two recipes recently struck my interest and luckily enough they were perfect to make back-to-back. the first recipe is shrimp in grits. the second is a polenta pizza that was recently featured in a breakfast pizza article in the new york times. the polenta recipes were slightly different, so i combined the two to use the same polenta for both recipes.

night 1: i've never actually eaten shrimp and grits before these ones. thus my basis for "genuine shrimp and grits" comparison is nil. i do know yummy food though and this was it. simple, easy and delicious. i tend to shy away from dairy so the grits probably could have used more cheese and butter.

night 2: oooohhhmygod. positively scrumptious. run and make this right now. for real. it doesn't even take long! take that rachel ray 30-minute fake meals!!!

the great thing about both of these recipes, in addition to being quick and simple, is that it's easy to substitute the ingredients. take a look around your kitchen, see what you have, and don't feel the need to run to the store to purchase every item.

part 1: shrimp and grits

adapted from bobby flay's food network recipe

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cup grits (i use quick cook--but not instant!--polenta) after all, "no self-respecting southerner uses instant grits"
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 slices turkey bacon, chopped
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1 large clove garlic, minced

• bring water and milk to a boil. add salt and pepper. add grits and cook until water is absorbed (time depends on the product you are using). stir in oil.
  
• spoon half of the polenta onto a plate or baking sheet, working quickly so polenta does not stiffen; spread it evenly to evenly to a thickness of about 1/2 inch all over. once cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. this is your pizza "dough" for tomorrow morning/afternoon/night.
• stir butter and cheese into remaining polenta. cover.
• rinse shrimp and pat dry. fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. in grease, add shrimp. since this is turkey bacon, add a bit of oil if necessary. cook until shrimp turn pink. add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. saute for 3 minutes.
• spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. serve immediately.
  
• serves 1 extremely hungry person or 2 averagely hungry people.

part 2: polenta pizza a la ny times

the original ny times recipe can be found here. i changed some things around according to what i already had at home.

• your handy-dandy premade polenta pizza "dough"
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 large shallot, chopped
  
• 2 pieces chicken sausage, removed from casing
  
• 1/2 pound spinach, washed, trimmed and dried
• 1/2 cup cheese, crumbled or grated (i used spreadable laughing cow light swiss)
  

• heat oven to 450 degrees; brush a layer of olive oil on a pizza pan or cookie sheet.
• put polenta on pan and bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to brown and crisp on edges. meanwhile, put olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add shallots and sausage, break up sausage with a wooden spoon. cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and sausage is cooked through and nicely browned. use a slotted spoon to take onion and sausage out of pan; set aside. add spinach to skillet and sauté until it releases its water and pan becomes dry; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper.
• take polenta out of oven, sprinkle with cheese, then spread onion-sausage mixture and spinach evenly on top of cheese; drizzle with another tablespoon olive oil. put pizza back in oven for two minutes, or until cheese begins to melt and sausage and vegetables are warmed through. cut into slices and serve hot or at room temperature.
  

weeknight dinner

On a recent Sunday evening visit to Trader Joe's (oh sweet, beautiful TJ's), I was inspired by thai style mango salsa. I am a sucker for a mango salsa. Into my basket it went. On my way home, I started to think about what meal this salsa could be incorporated into. The obvious thought was chicken but I wanted more! Seafood...shrimp! And while I was at it, how about a little coconut rice? SIDENOTE: If you do not have a rice cooker, I highly suggest you go purchase one, now! Mine is a base-line model zojirushi and I love him. END SIDENOTE. Less than an hour later, my wonderful weeknight meal was complete! The results were thus:

Coconut Rice (Rice cooker version):
1 cup white rice: some recipes said to only use jasmine but I used sushi rice and it was fine
1 cup water
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
pinch of salt

Put all ingredients in rice cooker, stir, turn on to cook.

Shrimp:
Sautee red pepper in a skillet. Push to the edge and cook shrimp until pink and opaque on each side. Throw in some green onions part way through the cooking process. Top with mango salsa!

Mango Salsa (if TJ's is not within your reach):
Mango, chopped
jalapeno, finely chopped
red onion, finely chopped
cilantro, chopped
lime juice
optional: sambal oelek--chili sauce but you could use something else spicy instead